Keeping Halloween costumes fun

Itís almost that time of year when costumed critters prowl the night in search of candy and fun. Yes, Halloween is right around the corner.

I really like Halloween. Next to Christmas, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Just call me a kid at heart.

Iím not the vampire and ghoul kind of Halloween lover though. While my brothers would come up with creepy costumes and try to outdo their friends with the disgustingly gory stuff, I ventured into the land of make believe.

I never could resist the chance to get decked out as something Iíd never been or would likely never be.

It started with my Mom. She was terrific at turning out costumes from almost nothing. And, she would encourage us to use our imagination to come up with something no one else would think of.

Sure, I usually had to have a sparkly costume with high heels and a long flowing wig. Little girls dream of being Cinderella, Snow White and Wonder Woman all rolled up into one.

Then there were the really unusual costumes like cave woman, queen bee and lady bug. It was always fun to see how far we could take our costumes before they became absurd.

When I had kids of my own, I decked them out as pumpkins and tiny animals as soon as they could walk and even before.

One year my son was an award-winning astronaut with a space suit that has never been attempted since. It was made from dryer vents, pieces of vacuum cleaner hose, rolls of tin foil and my husbandís old motorcycle helmet. What fun!

Weíve engineered all kinds of crazy costumes and miss the task of coming up with more now that the kids have grown. But even in college, they come up with ingenious ideas for themselves and others.

My freshman in college said her friend was going to a school-sponsored party as a tube of toothpaste. I guess the lampshade worn as a toothpaste cap is better than worn for other reasons. She suggested that since it was a party for college students, that he paint a generic brand on the pillow case he would wear rather than Colgate Ė for added effect. Humor, clean humor, that is, is always a fail-proof tactic.

Itís way more fun to dress ridiculous than gory. I shudder when I see a toddler dressed as a vampire with fake blood running down his or her cute little face. That ranks right up there with some other things that are just not appropriate: the little nipper as a stripper, Hitler or a marijuana leaf.

For those whoíd rather focus on Christmas, hereís one last minute alternative that works for both Halloween and ChristmasÖthe Christmas tree costume: a cardboard cutout decorated to your taste with feet disguised as presents.

Page 2 of 2 - If you are worried that the costume isnít scary enough for Halloween, don't worry. The custom will remind adults of all the present shopping and preparations they will have to make for Christmas...thatís enough to scare any rational being.

Instead of making horror the object of this Halloween, see whatís brewing in your own imagination for a costume thatís sure to knock the socks off everyone! Happy Halloween!

Nancy Hastings is a staff writer at the Hillsdale Daily News. She can be reached at nhastings@hillsdale.net.